Dragonsfire High: From Frenzied Freshmen to Senior Citizens
by J.R.R. Not-Tolkien
Summary: Jay Walker is your semi-typical home-schooled nerd, the kinda kid who gets picked on first glance. But when he starts his freshman year at Dragonsfire High and meets a hot-tempered anime guy, a clever/cute girl, a musical wizard, an English exchange student, and a paraplegic, maybe his P.R. will change for the better . . . or not (AU) (on hiatus until further notice)
1. First Day: Flops and Friends

**Okaaaay. . . so this is a first: a home-schooler trying to write a story about "regular school." This should be interesting . . . XD**

 **Just to let y'all know, my knowledge of public high school is rather scanty, since all I know is what other people have written, for example AwesomeAuthor13's "High School Never Ends" (really awesome story, btw!) and Lila Kay's "Ninjago High" (yet another awesome story! :D)**

 **So I'm taking a bunch of creative license with this story, 'kay? *grins nervously* I'd prefer it if you didn't correct me on whatever mistakes I make about the school system, since I may have made the mistake on purpose.**

 **So . . . hope you like this first chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1. First Day: Flops and Friends**

 **[Jay's P.O.V.]**

"Ja-a-ay!"

I blearily rubbed my eyes and called, "What is it, Mom?" I yawned loudly, reaching for my glasses.

"Today's your first day of high school, honey! Time to get up!"

"My first day of wha?" I yawned again, nearly poking myself in the eye as I put my glasses on. "Mom, I'm home-schooled, remember?"

Mom laughed as she peeked into my room. "If you're as smart as you claim to be, Mr. Walker, you'd remember we enrolled you into high school this year because of the move."

"Oh, yeah . . . WHAT?!" I jumped out of bed and scrambled to change out of my pajamas. I tugged on a blue-and-white-striped collared shirt and tried my hand at multi-tasking when I put my shoes on before my jeans and had to untie my shoes before I could get anywhere else with getting dressed.

Mom laughed behind her hand as I frantically dove under the covers to hide while I pulled my pants on. "Don't worry about packing your backpack, honey," she told me when I reemerged from my bed with my glasses askew and my shoelaces knotted up when I tied them without any light. "I took care of that after you conked out after watching Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone for a full four hours or so."

My cheeks burned redder than tomatoes. "Was I really watching TV for that long?"

Mom grinned. "I let you do it because it was educational, but don't think you can get away with doing a Harry Potter or a Star Wars marathon after this, young man."

"Aw, what's the fun in that?" I mumbled.

Mom left my door open as she left, calling, "Your dad already left for work, Jay, but he'll pick you up after school to take you to the junkyard. I believe he has a special 'first-day-of-public-school' surprise for you!"

My eyes lit up as I stumbled after her. Mom hadn't been lying when she said she'd already packed my backpack. It was sitting next to my brand-new black leather jacket, another "first-day-of-public-school" gift from the fam.

I've been home-schooled since first grade, when I got landed with a mean teacher and a bad case of the lonely bug. Ever since then, I've been labeled by every kid in my neighborhood as "the anti-social, junkyard four-eyed loser." My friends, Alex Azam and Julia Wade, call me "lucky." Well, Julia _did_ call me lucky, before she died the year I turned thirteen.

Anyway, since we moved to a more affordable house in Ninjago City (if that's even a proper combination of words: "affordable" and "Ninjago City") to accommodate my dad's new job, Mom decided it was time for me to "graduate" from home-schooling, and try out public school for high school. Not sure why my parents decided to move to a city almost ten miles away from the junkyard, but hey, I guess it's better than having to take a bus from Wintergate every morning to get to school.

I wolfed down my breakfast in under ten minutes, which was a bit of a record for overly distracted ol' me. My pet cat, Wisp, rubbed against my legs, purring loudly as his gray fur got all over my pant legs. I just shrugged it off, knowing that with a cat as fluffy as Wisp, fur was bound to get there at some point.

Then, after being smothered with hugs and kisses from Mom, I headed out the door for my new school. The condo complex where my family lived was about fifteen minute's walk to the high school. It was called Dragonsfire High, and it was supposedly one of the most elite high schools in Ninjago, so elite that there were no uniforms, and the majority of schoolwork was done in class. I said I'd believe it when I saw it. So far, I've only got proof that there aren't any uniforms. And the almost no homework thing was ridiculous. Technically, from first grade on, all my schoolwork _was_ homework.

 **(Fifteen minutes later)**

I walked briskly toward the school building. It looked pretty normal for being so elite. It was a three-story steel-plated building in the middle of a park-type area half the size of a college campus. I could see a baseball field and a football field behind the building, and my eyes lit up. I may be a geek, but I'm a mean baseball player . . .

"Hey! You, kid!" I was roughly jerked out of my thoughts as someone grabbed the back of my shirt. I glanced frantically around, and my eyes met a pair of poisonous green ones. The teenager who switched his grip from the back of my shirt to my shirt collar was about fifteen, a sophomore, I think. He wore a black Letterman jacket over a neon green shirt the same venom green color of his eyes. He had dark windswept hair, and a pale complexion. I disliked him on sight, partly because he reeked of "bad dude", and partly because he had a clamp grip on my collar.

"You lost, kid?" he sneered at me. "This is an _elite_ school. No nerds allowed."

I shook my head violently, trying hard not to gag as his grip tightened. "I'm-supposed-to-be-here," I coughed. "Just let me go!"

"Is that so?" the sophomore smirked. "Well, Four-Eyes, I got news for you. If you're new to D-Fire, you've gotta go through the initiation."

"What?!" I was completely confused. "Is this a joke? You're joking, right?"

The teenager raised his fist over my head. "Morro never jokes, geek-face," he snarled.

I tried to go for the stupid look. I flashed a classic dorky grin. "You wouldn't hit someone with glasses, would you?" I asked innocently, while at the same time squirming to get away.

"I would." The sophomore, apparently named Morro, raised his fist higher.

"HEY! YOU!" Morro whirled his head around. Another teenager, about my age, was glaring at him from a few feet away. He had spiky brown hair, almond-shaped amber eyes, and a scowl on his face that made him look like he jumped out of an anime. He wore a red t-shirt, a black army vest, maroon-ish jeans, and black combat boots. "Leave the kid alone, you jerk!" he said angrily.

"What if I don't, pipsqueak?" the sophomore sneered.

The anime guy raised his fists. "I can knock you into kingdom come faster than you can call for Momma," he said. "I'll show you I'm no pipsqueak."

Not that he needed to show him he's no pipsqueak, the guy was almost as tall as Morro. And grown-up, I'd bet Morro could make Abe Lincoln look short.

Morro glowered at him. Anime Teen glared right back without flinching. Finally, Morro released his grip on my collar. I fell to my knees, gasping for breath and rubbing my sore neck. "You may have gotten away this time, fresh _failure_ ," Morro snarled at me, "but I'll get you, and I'll get you good. You watch out too, bed-head," he snapped at Anime Guy. With that, he sauntered off.

The anime guy helped me to my feet. "You alright, buddy?" he asked.

I grinned weakly. "I guess so, apart from feeling like I've been Darth Vader-strangled."

The teen grinned back. "That could put a damper on your day," he said. "I'm Kai Fiero, by the way."

"Jay Walker," I said, adjusting my backpack straps. _Would ya look at that?_ I thought as we walked toward the school building. _Classes haven't even started yet and I got a new buddy! Maybe public school isn't so bad . . ._

But then I remembered Morro's promise to get me. _Okay, maybe it's not perfect . . . I've also got a new enemy. But I can handle him . . . right?_

* * *

 **[Kai's P.O.V.]**

"Kai! It's time to wake up!" I heard Nya call through my closed door.

"Ugh, who died and made you president?" I muttered, burying my face in my pillow.

"Uh, no one did, but Mom told me to tell you to get your lazybones body out of bed and get ready, or you're gonna be late for school. She and Dad already left for work."

"School doesn't start until next Monday," I mumbled, rolling over again.

"Check your calendar if you don't believe me, bright boy!" Nya called.

I glanced blearily over at the calendar hanging on the wall. "WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME THIS WAS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?!"

I jumped out of bed and scrambled to get dressed. I pulled on a red t-shirt, black jeans, my black army vest, and my combat boots, quickly re-spiked my hair in front of my bedroom mirror, and started shoveling my scattered school books into my backpack. No idea how they got scattered when I did my best to avoid touching them before school started.

I burst through my door, and almost tripped over an orange ball of fur. Nya's cat, Crookshanks, let out an angry meow and swiped at my leg as I narrowly avoided stepping on his tail as I ran for the dining room. "Nya! Your cat almost got squashed!" I yelled over my shoulder.

"Well, I almost fell over _your_ dog, so we're even!" Nya retorted.

"How can you fall over a dog as big as Flame?!" On cue, my golden retriever came bounding up to me as I balanced a bowl and a box of Smiley-O's (Dumbest. Name. Ever.) in one hand, and the carton of milk in the other.

"Figure it out for yourself, genius!" In Nya-speak, that means she couldn't come up with any way to contradict me.

I rolled my eyes as I started eating my cereal. "Sisters," I muttered. Flame nodded in agreement.

 **(Ten minutes later)**

After polishing off breakfast, and feeding Flame, I waited by the door for Nya. "Are you coming to school with me or not?" I called after about a few seconds.

"I'm going by myself, thanks," Nya said, walking right past me, completely ready for school. "I'm not your younger sister, you know."

"Technically, you are," I called after her. But she completely ignored me as she walked down the stairs to the sidewalk.

I sighed, and followed her, making sure to keep a good distance away from where she was walking.

When I arrived at the Dragonsfire High building, Nya had already gone inside. I was about to follow her in when I saw a teen about my age a little ways behind me. He had messy auburn-ginger hair, sea-blue eyes framed by black-rimmed glasses, a black leather jacket, and a blue-and-white-striped short-sleeved collared shirt with matching high-top sneakers. And at the time he had his collar gripped by a tall sophomore-aged guy who was about to knock his lights out.

My instincts took over, and I yelled, "HEY! YOU!"

The sophomore turned around, still holding the teen by the shirt. I stormed up to him and folded my arms across my chest. "Leave the kid alone, you jerk!" I said angrily.

The sophomore sneered, "And what if I don't, pipsqueak?" The teen he had a vice-grip on was frantically trying to break free, his backpack slipping off his shoulders.

I raised my fists threateningly. "I can knock you into kingdom come faster than you can call for Momma," I said fiercely. "I'll show you I'm no pipsqueak."

He glared at me. I glared right back. Finally, he released his hold on the ginger-haired teen, and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. The sophomore snarled at the teen, "You may have gotten away this time, fresh _failure_ , but I'll get you, and I'll get you good. You watch out too, bed-head," he snapped at me. With that, he sauntered off toward the school building.

I helped the other guy to his feet. "You alright, buddy?"

He grinned weakly at me. "Yeah, apart from feeling like I've been Darth Vader-strangled," he answered, rubbing his neck and pushing his glasses up on his face.

I grinned back. The kid seemed okay. "That could put a damper on your day," I agreed. "I'm Kai Fiero, by the way."

"Jay Walker," he introduced himself, fixing his backpack more firmly on his shoulders. We headed up the steps into the school building, and I could tell Jay was pretty stoked to have found a new friend. So was I. _Maybe high school wouldn't be so bad after all,_ I thought. _Sure I've got someone to keep an eye on, but hey, I'll have a whole bunch of awesome buddies to make up for it!_

* * *

 **[Cole's P.O.V.]**

Music, dancing, quartet, music, dancing, quartet! If I have to hear any of those words again, I might explode! My dad was blasting classical _music_ over the radio to wake me up for school, then reminded me to practice my _dance_ steps for entering the performing arts program at the new high school I'm going to, and to be sure to stay with my _quartet_ at all times! ARGH!

The guys in my quartet are kinda nice, but since they're the experts at all the _proper_ theatrical stuff while I'm not, we don't have much to say to each other. I'm just really glad my dad forgot we're going to different schools, so I wouldn't have to comply to his rule of sticking with the quartet at all times.

After pulling on my black leather jacket and lacing up my black sneakers, I snuck out the back door to avoid running into my dad and getting another lecture. Once I was safely on the walk to school, I slipped my headphones on, a present from Mom, and cranked up the volume on my iPod. If there was one thing me and Dad agreed on, it was that I liked jazz, not too much rock music. That was kinda how I got my name, anyway. Glenn Miller's swing jazz cooled me off on the way up to Dragonsfire High, about twenty minutes walk from my house.

I wished I could take a little detour to visit Mom, but she wouldn't have wanted me to be late on my first day of high school.

I walked up the steps into the building, right on the heels of two other freshmen-aged guys who were obviously brand-new buddies, but talking like they'd known each other for years. I hoped I could get friends that fast . . . even with a performing-arts-fanatic dad and an indisposed mom.

* * *

 **Don't worry, you'll see Zane and Lloyd in the next chapter! :D**

 **Wonder what Cole means by indisposed. . .**

 **Hope Morro decides _not_ to keep his promise to "get Jay good" XD**

 **See ya 'round!**


	2. Embarrassing Intros and Fluke Fights

**Hiya, me FanFiction peeps!**

 **First off, I wanna say THANK YOU SO MUCH for the reviews on the first chapter! Eight reviews already! Wow! That's kind of a big deal for me, being relatively new and all XD Special shout-out to JayFan67, PrincessMialyn, Cahaya Sidur, INFJwriter, JayaForever421, SwimmerNinja13, The Mayor of Ninjago City, and Kairocksrainbow! Your support means a lot to me.**

 **PrincessMialyn: I've got a personal canon, I think that's what it's called, in which Cole's named after Nat King Cole. I'm not sure whether that's jazz or not, but at least he's named after a musician! :D**

 **INFJwriter: You'll find out . . . XD**

 **Secondly, since this is a school story, I might as well put up my own school stats! Being a homeschooler doesn't make everything magically easier, I'll say that!**

 **I'm finishing up spring break (By the Lion, it went by fast!), but for history, I was studying the Holocaust and the beginning of WWII, and listening to an audio drama of _The Hiding Place_ , by Corrie ten Boom (really hard for me to listen to without crying), I did a science test on the electromagnetic force, math is as boring as ever, grammar is as interesting as it will ever be (not sarcasm!), and I recently finished reading _Animal Farm_.**

 **Now that I've got all that out of the way, on with the story! I'm planning on making these chapters longer than my normal stories, cause why not XD So I hope y'all like that! And just to let you know, this chapter might be kinda crummy, because I've been working on a lot of upcoming stories and stories-already-in-progress, and my mind's crowded with ideas _not_ related to school XD**

 **And check out my profile for the _Dragonsfire High_ soundtrack! :D**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Embarrassing Intros and Fluke Fights**

 **[Lloyd's P.O.V.]**

As soon as I entered the school building, kids turned to look at me, and I don't mean in a good way. Some of them looked sympathetic, others smirked and whispered behind their hands in a loud not-so-whispery type of whisper.

I sighed. I had gotten used to it, but it still hurt.

My dad had to hurry to his office, so I didn't get to say goodbye as he dashed off down the hall. I know he didn't go so fast on purpose, but I felt like he was trying to get away from me.

Maybe I should back up and explain. I'm Lloyd, a fourteen-year-old who is pretty much normal except for one thing: I can't walk.

My legs have been permanently paralyzed for about a year now, and even though I've gotten used to it, like I said earlier, and I think I'm faster in my wheelchair than I was on my legs, I'm still recovering from the cause of my paralysis. Me and my mom ended up in a car accident, and while I came out pretty much okay, my mom . . . She passed away in the hospital that same night. I still miss her a lot.

My dad, Montgomery Garmadon, the principal at my new school, Dragonsfire High, still blames himself for that night, even though he wasn't there, and it definitely wasn't his fault. But it was because he wasn't there that he blames himself.

I didn't want to think about that night, or my dad at the minute, so I quietly kept wheeling my way down the hall, not at all relieved that my homeroom, 618, was toward the end of the hallway.

As I passed 811, I noticed a tall fourteen-year-old guy standing up against the wall and glancing around like he was lost. He had blond hair cut military style, blue-gray eyes, almost paper white skin, and dressed in something like a gray school uniform. Y'know, gray sweater vest, white collared shirt, gray pants and tie, and black dress shoes. He shifted a plain white backpack uncomfortably on his shoulders, like he was unused to it being there.

I didn't feel in the mood to talk to anyone, but part of me kept nagging me to talk to this guy. Wanting that feeling to go away, I wheeled over to him. "Hey, are you waiting for someone?" I asked.

The guy took a few minutes to register my question. When he finally answered, he said, "Yes, and no. Do you know where-" he paused to take a piece of paper from his pocket. "-I could locate Classroom 618?"

His voice, soft and quiet, like his appearance, had a highly detectable accent. He sounded British, but I could probably get a British accent with an Australian one mixed up, so I decided not to ask.

"I was on my way there, actually," I said. "Just follow me!"

As we headed toward 618, I said, "I'm Lloyd Garmadon, by the way."

"Pleased to meet y-" the blond stopped midsentence. "Garmadon?" he repeated. "Are you related to Mr. Wu Garmadon, by any chance?"

I nodded. "He's my uncle."

The blond looked surprised. "He never mentioned having a nephew," he mused, clear that he was talking to himself, but speaking in a normal tone.

I gave him a weird look. "Why would he tell you he had a nephew?" I asked.

The blond blushed. "I suppose I should explain," he said. "My name is Zanes Julien, but I'm called Zane for short. Even though, technically speaking, it's still the same number of syllables either way. I've been living with your uncle for about a month now."

I was curious how this Zane guy was connected to Uncle Wu. "How come?"

Zane looked slightly embarrassed. "I am an exchange student from England," he explained. "I'm finishing school here in Ninjago, and Mr. Wu offered to house me for this first year. I'm still getting used to the concept of day school, since I attended a boarding school for most of my academic life."

I was totally surprised by that. I mean, I knew he had to be foreign, but an exchange student? "I didn't know Dragonsfire had an exchange student program!" I exclaimed.

Zane sighed. "It doesn't," he confessed. "It's more of an experiment than anything else. But it doesn't affect me, because my father plans for me to attend Dragonsfire for high school, as I think you call it, anyway. I am still unsure why."

Before I could reply, the ten-minute warning bell went off. "We gotta hurry!" I yelped. "If we get to homeroom late, we could get a demerit! And I don't think you would want one of those on your first day!"

I went speeding down the hall, careening past students and probably breaking about twenty school hallway speed records on the way.

* * *

 **[Zane's P.O.V.]**

Part of me wanted to turn around and run the other way, out of the school building and back to the airport to get the next flight to England, instead of running after Lloyd and avoiding getting this "demerit" thing he mentioned. But I felt too unprepared. I'd only been in Ninjago for a month, and all of it confused me. The different words, the comments about my supposed accent (even though to my ears it was the Ninjagonians who had the accent), and everything else that came of abruptly being pulled out of my regular routine and into a completely new one: on a completely different continent.

But then I thought of my dad, my little brother, Echo, my cat, Shard, and my falcon, Caspian, back home in London. They would want me to give this school a chance. An acquaintance back at St. Draco's Boarding Academy, Lucas, always told me I never got used to new things. Tell that to the only student at St. Draco's who has braces, Lucas. I was surprised Lloyd hadn't noticed them, but that was fine with me. Might have been because they were white. . .

I made up my mind. I ran after Lloyd, which was a first for me. Never run in a school hallway was a given rule at St. Draco's, and I found it annoying when I was late for class and couldn't run.

I actually beat him to the classroom, and I hurriedly skidded into the seat nearest to me, which was next to a black-haired fourteen-year-old with headphones on. He wore a black leather jacket over an orange T-shirt with a sports team emblem on it, and matching black jeans and sneakers. His thick dark hair extended slightly over his jacket collar, and his bangs were swept over his forehead in a skater-style look. I gave him an embarrassed smile for no real reason, and to my surprise, he grinned back and gave me a salute. "Nice entrance," he said, taking his headphones off and extending his hand. "You new too?"

"Yes, in more ways than one," I said, shaking his offered hand.

"I'm Cole Brookstone," he introduced himself.

"Zane Julien," I said.

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Are you British?"

I nodded. "How did you figure that out?"

"My dad knows a guy who's from England and he has the same accent you do," Cole said.

Before I could reply, Lloyd wheeled in, slightly breathless. "I was going so fast I went right past the door," he said to me, replacing the chair at the desk on my right, the one closest to the door, with his wheelchair.

Cole looked over me at Lloyd at the same time Lloyd looked over me to Cole. "Is he a friend of yours?" they asked in unison. Then they both burst out laughing.

Smiling, I said, "Yes. Cole, this is Lloyd Garmadon. Lloyd, this is Cole Brookstone."

I pushed my chair back slightly to give them room to shake hands over my desk. "Good to meet you, Lloyd," Cole said.

"Likewise," Lloyd said, returning his grin.

Dragonsfire wasn't so bad after all . . . At least it was worth giving a try.

* * *

 **[Nya's P.O.V.]**

Taking a deep breath, I entered my homeroom, Classroom 618. The front row had one empty seat left, between a black-haired freshman and an auburn teen with glasses. He was talking to none other than my dear twin brother, Kai, sitting on his left, in the desk closest to the window.

Deciding it would be best to get the seat closest to the teacher, even if it was near Kai, I walked over to the desk and asked the auburn guy, "Is this seat taken?"

Seeing me, he blushed furiously and shook his head. "No, you can take it," he said, and he smiled timidly at me.

He was pretty cute, with his tousled copper hair and bright blue eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses, and his sweet smile was just adorable. I felt my cheeks burn as I slid into my desk chair. I smiled shyly back, and self-consciously played with a lock of dark hair that hadn't been pushed behind my ear by my headband.

Finally, the boy said, "I'm Jay Walker, by the way. Just in case you wanted to know, since we're class neighbors and all." He said it as if not a lot of girls talked to him.

"Nya Fiero," I said, and I felt my cheeks go even hotter. I didn't want to know his name: I wanted to know did he like blue, did he like cats, did he like Star Wars, and did he like me.

Gosh, what was the matter with me? I'd never felt this way about a guy before, especially not a classmate. The guys at my elementary school and middle school were pretty jerky, like the boy in kindergarten who was the class bully and called me his "girlfriend." I shuddered at the memory. In kindergarten, of all places. . .

But this new boy, Jay, seemed different. I didn't know how, but he just did. I made a mental note to talk to him when I had the chance.

* * *

 **[Jay's P.O.V.]**

I kept getting distracted from my conversation with Kai by glancing over at Nya. She was really pretty, with bobbed black hair pushed behind her ears with a red headband, a jean jacket over a red T-shirt with a water droplet graphic, holey denim jeans, and red sneakers. Her amber eyes sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the window, and I couldn't help staring at her fingers, which were fidgeting with a pencil marked with teeth indentations.

 _She bites her pencil like I do!_ I thought, looking at my own chewed-up pencil in my hand. _That totally sounded like a Charlie Brown comic, but I don't care!_

Kai waved his hand in front of my face. "Earth to Walker, do you read me?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

Kai sighed. "You're hopeless."

Just then, our homeroom teacher came in. He was an older guy, with a white beard and a straw hat, like a sensei out of a martial arts movie. "Good morning, class," he said, giving a slight bow. "I'm Mr. Wu, your homeroom and literature teacher, and it's good to see both new and familiar faces in my classroom this morning. Before I give you your class schedules, I would like the new students to make short introductions to begin their first day at Dragonsfire."

He checked a notepad that had been sitting on his desk. "Cole Brookstone, please give your name, age, previous school, and an interesting fact about yourself."

The skater guy on Nya's right stood up, and turned to face the class. In a clear, confident voice, he said, "Hi, I'm Cole Brookstone. I'm fourteen, I used to go to Renken Middle School, and. . ." He paused. It was clear he was trying to think of an interesting fact about himself, but he didn't betray any sign of being confused or flustered. Wow. I wish I could do that. . .

After only thirty seconds of silence, he said, "And my dad is a teacher at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts." Now he sounded slightly embarrassed, like it was the best he could come up with.

Most of the class clapped politely as Cole sat down. His face was bright red with discomfort, and he looked like he wanted to slam his headphones on over his ears and forget the whole incident.

"Kai Fiero," Mr. Wu called.

Kai got up and introduced himself. He was fourteen, attended Argo Middle School, and had won first place in a city-wide skateboarding competition one summer ago. I whistled appreciatively as he sat down. "Show me those board skills sometime," I whispered behind my hand to him.

Then it was Nya's turn. She was also fourteen, had also attended Argo, and was an intern at the Ninjago City Humane Society. I was so tempted to say that her job was really cool when she sat down, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. Less chance of her getting grossed out by my geekiness.

* * *

 **[Zane's P.O.V.]**

"Lloyd Garmadon," Mr. Wu called.

Lloyd looked extremely nervous. I gave him a reassuring smile. "You'll do brilliant," I said quietly. Cole merely gave him a thumbs'-up. The skater still looked discomfited from his experience introducing himself.

He gave me a grateful look, then took a deep breath. He wheeled himself to face the class and waved. "I'm Lloyd Garmadon," he introduced himself, "I'm fourteen, I used to go to Darkley's Academy, and I participated in the Junior Paralympics last summer and got second place in the mile race."

He scooted hurriedly back to his desk, burying his face in his hands. "I feel like a complete idiot right now," he mumbled. "It's enough of an interesting fact that I'm partially paralyzed."

I wanted to give him a hug and do something to make him feel better, but just then, Mr. Wu called, "Zanes Julien!"

 _Let's just cross my fingers and hope those public speaking exercises they made us do at St. Draco's will pay off_ , I thought, getting up from my desk and turning to face the class.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, then I smiled weakly. "Hello," I began, nervously fidgeting with my collar, "my name is Zanes Julien, or Zane for short. I am fourteen years old, I used to attend St. Draco's Boarding Academy, and . . ." My brain suddenly went blank. _Oh, by the Lion's mane, no,_ I thought, desperately trying to think of an interesting fact about myself. _Where on earth did THAT expression come from?!_

"And I have a pet falcon!" I blurted out, face burning crimson red with embarrassment. _Oh, Zanes Luke Julien, why out of all facts did I have to say that?_ I mentally moaned, wanting to slap myself in the face for my stupidity. _No one's going to believe that!_

Some of the students, even a couple seniors, looked impressed, and the other freshmen in the front row, which were Lloyd, Cole, the twins Kai and Nya, and the blue-eyed teenager with the glasses were giving me slack-jawed looks of amazement. Before I went to my seat, Mr. Wu said, "Zane is an exchange student from England that Dragonsfire will be hosting for the next four years, while he finishes school here in Ninjago. It's good to have you with us, Zane."

I only nodded before slinking back to my desk. It didn't help that one of the sophomores was whispering, very loudly, to his friend, "Brace-Face Brit!" Lovely, there went any hope of my braces _not_ getting noticed.

"You have a pet falcon?!" Lloyd whispered behind his hand to me. "That's so cool!"

"What kind of falcon is it?" Cole asked.

"A mechanical falcon," I muttered.

Before they could respond, Mr. Wu called, "Jaymes Walker!"

* * *

 **[Nya's P.O.V.]**

Jay suddenly stiffened up, his fists tightly clenched and not moving. I looked at him in concern. "Are you all right, Jay?" I asked. "You look angry."

"Huh?" The fierce look that had been on his face melted away, and he grinned nervously. "No, I'm fine." He took a deep breath, and stood up. "He-e-ey," he started, his fingers fidgeting almost in hyperspeed with the watch on his wrist. "I'm . . . um . . . Jay Walker-"

Almost immediately, some of the older students snickered loudly. Jay visibly cringed, his face red as a sunburn. I felt so bad for him; he looked so scared and nervous. Mr. Wu shot the sniggering students a steely look, then nodded his head for Jay to continue.

Jay took another deep breath, and continued, "I'm fourteen, and I used to . . . uh . . ." He stiffened up again. Mr. Wu gave Jay a concerned look, but then he squeaked, "I've been homeschooled since first grade!"

That sent some of the other students into loud laughter. My eyes widened in surprise as Jay blushed even deeper. _No wonder he's so anxious!_ I thought. _If I was homeschooled and had a name like Jay Walker, I'd be too scared to talk to anyone too!_ Not that those facts changed my opinion of him; they made him more unique, and attractive.

I wanted to give him a hug; he looked ready to cry as the sophomores ignored Mr. Wu's angry glare and kept laughing. And I so desperately wanted to slap Morro, who was laughing the loudest, right in his proud face.

Mr. Wu suddenly yelled, "If you don't stop that, I'll give you all a week of detention!"That silenced the sophomores. The seniors and juniors looked sympathetically at Jay, who was trying his best to keep his breathing level and hold back his tears at the same time. It was a minute before he recomposed himself. "And I'm working on a life-size working BB-8 droid, and I've also built a life-size working R2-D2 and C-3PO," he finished quietly.

The blond British guy, Zane, looked surprised and amazed at the same time. Jay looked humiliated as he sat back down. "Now you know," he mumbled, I wasn't really sure whether he was addressing me or Kai. "Do you hate me now?"

"Uh, no!" Kai gave Jay a grin. "You're even cooler now that I know more about you! If they can't see that a homeschooler can be awesome too, they're blinder than bats." He thumbed at the sophomores, Morro in particular, who was smirking in our direction.

Jay looked at me nervously. I wondered why, but I smiled at him. "I think it's neat you were homeschooled," I said honestly. "It'll be interesting to hear someone else's take on school, other than a 'regular-schooled' kid."

Jay's mouth curved into a small smile. "Thanks," he murmured.

* * *

 **[Jay's P.O.V.]**

Once the humiliation of introductions was over and Mr. Wu gave us our schedules, the rest of the school day wasn't too bad. I was in the same classes as the other freshmen who were in my homeroom, Zane, Cole, Lloyd, Kai, and Nya. Even though she had assured me that she thought it was neat that I had been homeschooled, I couldn't look Nya in the eye during the first two classes, English and math.

Zane, who I shared a desk with in math, must have had an Einsteinian brain for math, because he finished his thirty exercises and had time left over to help his less skilled deskmate with the problems I was stuck on, 'cause while I was good at some types of math, other kinds . . . were less programmable into my brain.

Kai was my deskmate in English, and then it was my turn to help him out, since I had finished the curriculum ahead of time and my English teacher, alerted to this fact, had allowed me to help whichever student I was sitting with, instead of wasting class time doing whatever.

Then, when I had Nya as my partner in science, I decided to trust that Nya _didn't_ think I was geeky. When the science teacher, Dr. Who (no kidding, that was his real name!), asked how many of us had studied physical science before, only me and Zane raised our hands; the other kids looked confused when they heard that term.

Science was, no exception, my favorite class. Besides having a head start on the topics, Dr. Who taught his subject really well. I understood it better than when I had to read my science textbook by myself! And I was so relieved when he said all the main work we had to for science would be done in class, but recommended we study more in-depth on our own.

Before I knew it, lunchtime came up, and even quicker, I ended up at a table with the same five kids I had met throughout the classes. That was better than I had expected.

Zane, who was sitting across from me, asked, "Did you really build working R2-D2 and C-3PO units?" He sounded really curious.

I nodded eagerly. "Yep! My parents have a junkyard about fifteen miles outside of town, and that's how I got all the gizmos and gadgets to build them," I said. "You like machines?"

"My father is an designer for a British robotics company," Zane said. "I've grown up around blueprints and machines!"

* * *

 **[Kai's P.O.V.]**

While Zane and Jay were chatting about robots and mechanical stuff, I tried to strike up a conversation with Cole. "So, your dad's a teacher at the Marty Oppenheimer?" I asked.

Cole just nodded. "Yeah," he muttered. He was blasting some sort of rock music in his headphones, I wasn't sure which band.

I was certain I hit a touchy spot. And even though my sister says it's impossible, I tried to tread slightly more carefully. "What band is that?" I tried.

"Skillet," Cole replied, and he seemed slightly more open to conversation.

"No way!" I exclaimed, grinning. "That's gotta be my ultimate favorite band!"

Cole's gray eyes lit up. "Finally I hear some positive language about Skillet!" he exclaimed. "My dad doesn't like it because it's too hardcore rock for him, and the guys in the quartet don't like it either."

"What quartet?" I asked, confused.

Cole sighed. "Let's just say I'm involved with a lot of theatrical and musical stuff, thanks to my dad," he said.

* * *

 **[Cole's P.O.V.]**

The rest of the school day went by pretty smoothly. Weirdly enough, there weren't any bully attacks, or sudden death by homework, or anything like that. And I found out several things: I'm not the only Skillet fan, Jay is extremely chatty and a little too energetic, Zane has got to be the world's next super-genius, Lloyd is the fastest person I know in a wheelchair (as well as the only person I know in a wheelchair), and Kai and Nya are twins who highly dislike each other. Their banter was still ringing in my ears as I hurried out of art and into history.

As I exited the last class of the day, literature, with the rest of the freshmen in my homeroom, a sophomore with red-tinted aviator sunglasses and reddish-brown hair brushed back on his head came sauntering up to us. I recognized him as Griffin Turner, the son of Coach Peregrine, our P.E. teacher.

"Just wanted to let you know," Griffin said casually, "tryouts for the Falcons and the Bandits are next week. Since we've got two baseball teams, you have double the chance of getting on one of them. Though I'm not sure how much chance you three have." He thumbed at Jay, Zane, and Lloyd.

Zane shrugged. "I'm not much of a sports player, unless Dragonsfire has a secret cricket or rugby team," he said. "I'm not planning to try out."

"Me neither," Lloyd agreed. "If they need an announcer, though, I'd be happy to do that."

"What about you, Jay?" Nya asked.

Jay shrugged. "I don't know," he said, faking nonchalance. "I'm not sure how much chance a former pitcher would have getting on a high school baseball team."

Griffin looked surprised. "You were a pitcher?"

Jay nodded. "I didn't have these glasses forever, y'know," he said, and he sounded like an old pro reliving his glory days. "Back in the day, I was named MVP for the Wintergate Wolverines and when I was pitching, we never lost a game." He sighed. "But I guess I wouldn't have much of a chance at getting on," he said. "I'll try out, anyway."

Whatever he was doing, it worked. Griffin walked away, visibly shaken. As soon as he was out of earshot, I said, "Were you really a pitcher and MVP?"

Jay nodded. "I've loved baseball ever since I saw my first Ninjago City Dragons game when I was six," he said. He grinned. "I just did that to see what reaction I'd get out of Griffin," he added. "I'm not ashamed to admit I _did_ exaggerate with the 'never lost a game' shtick."

Kai rolled his eyes. "You're pretty devious for a fourteen-year-old," he said.

"I am the very definition of 'devious', _mi amigo_ ," Jay said, and the grin on his face made him look like Fred or George Weasley after playing a particularly satisfying trick on Professor Umbridge or Mr. Filch.

"What about you, Cole?" Lloyd asked. "Are you gonna try out?"

I shrugged. "I don't think so," I said. "My dad doesn't approve of sports, other than dancing, and that barely qualifies."

"What about your mom?" Nya asked. "Maybe she could convince him to-"

"She can't!"

I must have been louder and harsher than I thought, because Nya visibly flinched. "Gosh, dude, what was that for?" Kai demanded, looking slightly angry. He protectively put his arm around his sister.

At that moment, I didn't want anything to do with these guys. Sure, they were the only friends I had, and probably will ever have in this school, but I wasn't ready to tell them about my mom. "Nothing," I muttered, slamming my headphones on over my ears. "I've gotta go."

I quickened my pace and soon left them behind, shutting out all the sound around me as I exited the school building. I had to see my mom.

* * *

 **I know, I know, I'm ending it with the same character P.O.V. I did last time, but I promise that will change in the next chapter!**

 **-Why is Cole so sensitive about his mom?**

 **-Why is Zane specifically the exchange student? Couldn't they have picked a different pupil from St. Draco's?**

 **-How did the accident Lloyd was involved in happen, and why does Mr. Garmadon blame himself for what happened?**

 **-And why am I displaying Jay as a stereotypical homeschooler?! (That was completely by accident, but I'm sort of basing him on myself, and I tend to get nervous like that speaking in public)**

 **And btw, that memory Nya had about kindergarten is based on an actual experience I had when I attended public school for kindergarten. (Yes, I've been homeschooled since first grade)**

 **You'll find out the answers to these questions and more in the upcoming installments of _Dragonsfire High_!**


	3. A Brief Update

**A Note**

 **This story shall remain unfinished, but the essence of the first two chapters will be included in a revised story titled** _Imagination High: Go, Ninja, GO!_. **The story will primarily focus on _Ninjago_ , but will include crossovers with multiple fandoms, primarily _The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean,_ and _Marvel._**

 **Thank you for your patience, and I'll be seeing you in** _Imagination High_ **.**


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